Myran: Sky and Caves
by lilacbunni
Summary: Javity and Shakinto explore the new era of VR and discover hidden talents that allow them to climb to the top of their league..., and then some
1. Shakinto Beginnings

I laid down on my bed and put on my Nervegear. I thanked God for giving me life in the gaming era of VR then I began to shut my eyes.

"LINK START!" I yelled. A flur of different colors, almost like a moving rainbow, came rushing to my eyes then everything went black.

"Input username please" an automated voice requested. The voice took me by surprise. But, I quickly regained my composure and began contemplating a username. Lord knows why I didn't think of one before hand. Now, …what would I like to be called? After  
thinking for about a solid two minutes, I thought of a name.

"SHAKINTO!" I shouted into the black void.

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?" the automated voice said. I repeated my username more than five times to only be met with the same response. I began to get frustrated. This is the year 2022. Why can't a stupid Siri rip-off understand me? "Please  
input your username using the holographic keyboard." I cursed under my breath and typed in my username on the blue keyboard floating in front of me at chest height.

"'Shakinto', is this the username you desire?" the automated voice asked. I touched the YES button. "Welcome to Sword Art Online Shakinto! May you prevail through the dark times ahead." I sensed some foreshadowing in that statement. Suddenly, my surroundings  
began to grow bright and I couldn't feel anything as if my body went numb. I was floating in nothingness. I couldn't feel, see, or hear anything. I was in this non-existent state for about a minute, but really there was no telling how long it was.

My feet landed on something. I heard chatter in the background, and felt wind blowing against my face. Why can't I see though? Oh wait, I forgot my eyes were closed. I slowly opened them. At first, there was only a bright blur, then the little circles  
started focusing into a skylight, floor, shops, fountains, and eventually faces passing by.

Where was I? I mean I know where I am, but where in the game was I. I looked around for any signs, until i realised there was huge one hanging right above my head. It read 'Town of Beginnings'. Well, this didn't look like a town. Maybe it was a shopping  
center.

Woah, I was so wrapped in being lost I forgot this was VR.I looked down at my feet and the rest of my body. Everything felt so real.

"THIS IS AWESOME!"I shouted out. Everyone walking past stopped for a second and looked at me then proceeded with their day. Although this was in fact cool, I still didn't know what to do first, test the waters and fight some monsters? Buy some equipment  
with the starter money? Or maybe I should look around at the style and feel a bit more? I had no idea. Wait, wasn't I supposed to meet someone?

"OH SHIT!" I exclaimed.


	2. Second Try's the Charm?

After taking quite a long time picking a name and customizing my character, Shakinto still wasn't here on time.

I had chosen the name Javity and made a custom outfit for myself consisting of a long white combat jacket and dark purple shirt and pants. I had also chosen some bright lilac combat boots that resembled my own irl. My fashion sense is on fleek, y'know?

I patiently waited for my friend to get here. Wait, does he know how to open the map? Hell, does he know how to open the menu? I started to begin the whole 'I told you so' routine where I tell Shakinto to do something and he doesn't against his worse judgement. In this case, I told him to read the fucking instruction guide. Did he read it? Of course not but, he always figures something out (even if it's highly ridiculous).

I suddenly heard footsteps coming my way. About time. I turn to see my friend out of breath like he just finished everything on the McDonald's menu.

"Why, hello there" I said to him acting as if he were a stranger.

"Don't start" Shakinto replied. "I told you that I didn't need to read the stupid instruction manual."

"Yet, it took you like 10 hours to get here."

"22 minutes to be precise."

"Okay, that's cool and what all, but it was still hella long bitch."

"Whatever."

"Anyway, here we are. Do you want to spend all day debating wether you took a long time or not? Or do you want to play?"

"Well, we're not going to be fighting monsters anytime soon with this equipment."

"Why not? They wouldn't just spawn us here without anything to defend ourselves with."

"You wanna bet? This game is for hardcore gamers. It wouldn't be a surprise if that is how it was."

"So, we need money?"

"Correct. Apparently, the name of the currency in this game is Keru."

"According to the research I did on the game, an easy way to make money or Keru would be to win minigames."

"Where they at though?"

"Look behind you dumbass."

I pointed at the minigame named 'ACTION!' behind Shakinto as he turned around. Shakinto and I walked closer to read the 'How to Play.' It read 'A team of two is required to play. There are three red and white targets. The goal of the game is to hit those targets with the bow and arrow that will be provided. Seems easy right? Well, to make things harder, arrows will be shooting at you from the holes in between the targets. The arrows have a homing spell cast on them meaning you will not be able to dodge them leaving you two options, to block or deflect them. While one team member is trying to hit the targets with the bow and arrow, the other is trying to defend that person using the provided sword. If the arrows hit the team member that is trying to hit the targets three times, It's game over. You will be charged 500 Keru to play. Note: the arrows will begin coming at your team faster the more time you spend.'

"Seems fun." Shakinto said

"Yeah but, we have one problem. We can only go twice seeing as we both have exactly 500 Keru."

"Only two chances huh? I guess the stakes are higher making it all the more fun"

"Lets just try and beat this in one go."

"You do realize more than 2,000 players have tried to beat this right?"

"Yes but, we're not them."

"Well, actually…"

"Listen bitchiest, don't try and get logical on me. It's not a good look for you."

We both walked to the minigame and made the 500 Keru transaction.

"Shakinto, you better defend me." I said

"No guarantees." He replied

We walked in the play area with shaun in front and me in the back. We both grabbed the weapons we specialized in (or at least thought we did) and got into our respective stances. 3...2...1…GO! I immediately grabbed an arrow and pulled back on my bow. It's lighter than I thought. I tried my best to aim for the left target and let go. The arrow flew through the air and hit the target dead center. Something inside of me wanted to stop and yell "YAAAAAS", but I knew I had to stay focused if we wanted to win this keru. One thing was still bothering me though.

"Um, didn't it say it was going to shoot arrows back at us?" Shakinto exclaimed saying exactly what I was thinking "I'm standing here ready, but nothing is coming… kinda makes me feel awkward."

"I know, I know. Just be ready though, there has to be some kind of trick to this for so many people to have lost." I responded

It was time for round two. The thing is round two started earlier than shaun had anticipated. A weird clicking sound emanated from the machine as if something was being rapidly loaded. An arrow suddenly shot out of one of the holes. Before it could hit either of us, I cocked an arrow and shot… the arrows clashed and fell.

"Nice shot," Shakinto sarcastically complained "I could've taken that though."

"Sure thing. Just be ready next time." I mocked

Another arrow came spiraling out of the barrel followed by three more. Shakinto blocked the first and cut the others straight down the middle. This gave Javity enough time to take out the second target.

"See I know what I'm doing! This VR feels is fucking amazing!" He exclaimed

There was only the sound of arrows being shot and steel clashing. Shakinto was managing to hold his own against the increasing speed of the arrows. Until one of the machines aimed directly toward me. Shakinto was busy blocking the rest he didn't notice. Even if he had there was no way he could've blocked it, it was too far out of reach. I reacted fast, drew an arrow, pulled back the string and released. I watched my arrow sail through the air. It was fast and had good aim, but the machine was faster and before I knew it, four arrows hit me in my chest.

"OWWWW!" I screamed.

"You do know that you can't really feel pain right?"

"I'm trying to make this as real as possible and you're ruining it."

"Just saying and it looks like we lost."

"Ya think?" Shakinto said as the arrows that impaled my chest dissipated into thin air.

We had one more shot at this. As much Shakinto didn't want to lose his money, we desperately needed better equipment. We both walked back up to the minigame and made the 500 Keru transaction through Shakinto's wallet. I had a plan this time. Shakinto didn't really have to know seeing as he'll already be playing his part. We'd definitely do it this time. The only difference is… we had an audience. They had seen our first attempt and were drawn to see how we'd do this time.

"I'm not really comfortable with these people looking at us." Shaun said.

"Don't worry about them. Just focus on the goal here." I replied

So, we both got ready for the challenge. 3...2...1...GO!

It didn't take us long to get back to where we were. I hit the first two targets with ease. It seems our audience were amazed at how fast we blew through the two rounds. Now, we were on round three again. The rapid fire started almost immediately. I payed close attention to all the machines. When one started aiming towards me I yelled

"NOW!" at Shakinto. He spun his sword on its nose to deflect incoming arrows for a short time, then jumped as high as he could with his palms facing the sky. I saw the perfect opportunity, jumped on top of his hands,and kicked off with my bow already drawn and aimed at the last target. The machine shot four arrows one after another all going straight in between us. I closed my eyes, released my arrow and heard it whistle through the wind. Suddenly... it stopped and I heard a piercing BANGK'TNG. I opened my eyes and the last target fell down.

We won! My plan worked. Although it could've been executed without Shakinto's improv sword spin. I soon stopped celebrating as i realized i was about ten feet in the air and falling fast. I hit the ground with a thud.

"Where's my… ahem… our money?" Shakinto said before I could even get off my feet.

"I'm sorry dude... , but did you not just see me fall like a story!"

"Psh. I would've fell like a badass, but I know you'll be fine. Now let's go get this keru!"

We walked out of the minigame heading to the check-in counter. As we entered the main lobby we saw everyone staring us down.

"Ugh. What'd we do now?" Shakinto sighed.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!" everyone cheered.

"You guys are amazing!"said one person from the crowd. Then everyone started shouting random things

"The best I've ever seen, and I've been working here for years," said an npc.

"I think I might fangirl faint,"

"I've always wanted to beat that damn mini-game, but I never could've done it like that!"

A man with silver hair and and deep blue eyes waked up to us and said "You two are the first to win this mini-game in three months. That means you get all the money that was bet on it. Here's 75,ooo keru for the each of you"

We looked at each other shocked. Neither of us had any idea it was that much keru. We didn't know what else to say or do besides yell

"This will buy us the equipment we need, and the rest could hold us over for weeks! Tank you soooo so much!" We yelled in unison.

We graciously accepted the reward, and walked off to find the nearest armoury and item store.


	3. Thanks Liz

We walked around for a couple of minutes looking for a sign that seemed even remotely close to what could be an armoury and item shop. Then a certain structure caught my eye.

"Hey, What about that one?" I asked as I pointed to the building In question.

The sign actually read 'Liz's Smithy' but, from the decorative armor and weapons on the exterior walls, I could make a pretty good guess that this is what we're looking for.

We had walked to the shop, pushed open the doors, and went inside. To our left and right there was a long, glass, rectangular box full of different weapons. You name it, from axes to swords, spears to bows and arrows. At the front of it all, behind the  
/counter was the blacksmith. She had pink hair, dark pink eyes, was very light skinned with freckles on her face, and was wearing a dark red top with puffed sleeves and a flared skirt of the same color as well as a pure white apron over that and a  
/red ribbon atop her chest.

JAvity may have done research on this game but, I don't think he got to figuring out how stats work and what would be the right weapon for us seeing as he wore an expression that looked as if he was trying really hard to understand something. Well, if  
/we couldn't figure it out, I might as well go ask the blacksmith.

I stopped looking around at the weapons and turned to face the front of the shop so I could go speak with the blacksmith. Except, instead of seeing her behind the counter when I turned, she was right in my face.

"Woah!" I said while backing up on reflex.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting you be right there."

"Well, welcome to my Liz's Smithy. Here, you can buy new weapons, armour, and items for your adventure! Do you need my help with anything?"

"Well, first question. Is your name Liz?" I asked

The blacksmith sweat dropped and I could hear Javity mumbling something under his breath behind me. He probably thinks it's stupid but, it was a legitimate question. I didn't know her name.

"I'm guessing you're one of those fast in battle but slow in the head type of people." She said

"What's that supposed to mean? Do you always knock down your customers like this?" I said in a pissy tone.

"Only the slow ones." She answered to what was supposed to be a rhetorical question.

"How am I slow?"

"Did you read the sign before you came in here?"

It was then I realized how stupid I must've sounded during this entire conversation.

"Your name is Liz isn't it?"

"Bingo. Now that you know my name, can you ask your second question?"

"Okay, My friend and I are looking for some really good equipment to get us started in this game. Can you help us out?"

"You mean today is you and your friend's first time in the game?"

"Yep."

"Well, I would love to help you out but, this isn't the kind of smithy for people with not a lot of Keru. All of the stuff you see here are high quality stuff."

"Keru's not an issue." I said as I opened my menu and showed her the Keru I had earned from the minigame.

"Wow! I'm not even gonna ask how you managed to get that much in a day"

So, Liz showed us the different weapons based on our skill level. Of course, Javity and I already had in mind what kind of weapon we wanted. I needed a sword that is light but, could deal moderate damage. Fortunately, there was one sword that would do  
/trick. In fact, the only reason it was still there was because no one could afford it. I touched the holographic screen next to the sword confirming my purchase. 35,000 Keru was withdrawn from my wallet. The name of the sword was 'Karbala.' Next,  
/I had to focus on armor. I didn't want anything that would make me look like Iron Man because when using a sword, speed is a great ally. I spotted a light blue cloak with three vertical orange stripes called 'Rama' which increases agility, stamina,  
/and strength. Honestly, those were the only three attributes I worried about. The cloak would up my defense too but, not by much. I purchased the cloak. 20,000 Keru was withdrawn from my wallet. With the remaining 20,000 Keru I had left, I bought  
/some potions, Elixirs, and other items. Now lets see how Javity is doing.

Javity bought a cloak as well, but unlike mine, his was lilac with gold lining and reached down to his thighs rather than his ankles like mine. His cloak helped his accuracy, magic, and agility. The cloak cost the same amount as the one I bought. I also  
/spotted a… slightly curved black stick that looked to be about a yard long.

"Hey, Javity… what the fuck is that… ?" I asked Javity

"Firstly it's called Towaisento and It's a wand made of elfleaf wood" he wand was dark as dark could get. It was curved very slightly like the first crescent moon of the phase with a jagged sapphire handle at the end.

"Honestly I was expecting you would buy a bow, but I guess far distance magic is all the same" I said honestly

"Secondly… THAT'S WHY IT TURNS INTO A BOW!" As the wand fell back down Javity caught the handle and yelled "Hen Yu!" The handle slid to the middle and the tips attached by string. "Haha… see!"

"Yes, very impressive Javity, but do you have to scream every time?" I questioned, but got no answer besides a smirk and annoyed eyes. "How much was that piece of fanciness anyway?" I asked sarcastically

"... 50,000 keru" Javity mummered

"What?" I asked again

"... 50,000 keru!" Javity admitted

"What the-?!" I stopped myself before I got mad. Why would I care anyway.

"Well anyway, maybe you should buy a melee weapon just in case an enemy gets too close." He agreed and ended up buying low level brawler gloves called Hiken made of light-shadows that had cost around 5000 keru.

"Alright we gotta go." I said exhausted

"Um Shakinto wait… would you mind if we shared your supplies… I kinda am out of money" Javity asked shyly

"What the actual fuck?!" I yelled exasperatedly. "Well I guess it's fine we are partners after all. Let's just get going already"

"Will that be all?" Liz asked.

"Actually, I have one more question. I know this is a smithy meaning all the weapons here are either sold to you or forged by you but, do you also happen to be able to cast spells on a weapon?"

"Yes, I can. Take your friend's gloves for example. Right now, they will only inflict puncture damage but, if I give them a spell, they can also burn, freeze, and increase overall damage to the enemy. Of course, that's not all spells can do. I can  
/do even more than what I mentioned to the gloves as well as any other weapon like your sword." Liz replied

"Okay, thank you for the information Liz. I'll be sure to come back here so I can get those fire and ice enchatments." Javity said

"No problem, I actually like you guys so can you two do me a favor?" Liz asked

"What is it?" Javity and I said in unison.

"If you don't mind, I would like to be the only smithy you guys come to in the game. If you ever need anything, come here. Don't go to one cheap ass smithy's in the other towns." Liz said

"Okay, we will. Thank you for being our special and personal blacksmith." I said happily.

"You're welcome. Come back soon!" She exclaimed happily.

"OK!" Javity and I said in unison once again.

We walked out of Liz's smithy with her contact info so we could message her if we wanted. Now, It's time to do what we've been waiting for. Fight some monsters!


	4. Damned Undying Spiders

Fresh air. It's about time we got some. After all that time spent in the Town of Beginnings which looked more like a mall, it's finally time to get out and fight monsters.

"Okay, I know how eager you are to start slashing and hacking but, let's try and stay where the low level monsters are." I told Shakinto

"Ok." Shakinto replied slightly disappointed.

We ran out into the wide open field and began looking for some monsters. Shakinto spotted one and notified me. I turned my head to see what he was referring to. Don't get me wrong, the whole purpose was to fight but, there was one problem…

"...no...bitch...no," I said annoyed "you gots me fucked the fuck up" I said half afraid other half pissed off

I saw Shakinto smirking at me. He's doing this on purpose. He knows damn well I hate… Spiders.

"I know you hate spiders but, now's your chance to really express your hate to relieve yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually." Shakinto said.

"That is smart and makes complete sense, although it sounds like something I would say," I said egotistically "but in this case… all i can say is… NOPE."

"If you hate spiders so much, let's kill it." Shakinto said

"I don't think you understand. When I say I hate spiders that means I don't want to see one. EVER." I informed him

Shakinto was about to reply but, it looks like aggro had it's effect on the spider.

"So, Javity. We have three options. Fight this thing and win, stand here paralyzed with fear and get our ass kicked, or waste one of our teleport crystals. What are you going to do?" Shakinto asked me.

I hate arachnids so much. If one is going to take me down, it's not going to do so without a fight. I took out my bow and reached for an arrow implying to Shakinto that i'm gonna fight this thing.

"I'm glad you have made your choice because that thing looks about ready to charge at us." Shakinto said.

I turned and looked. The spider did indeed look very pissed. This really got to me because it was already ugly enough. (A/N: We wanted to describe the physical traits of the bitch ass enemy but, I (shakinto ) also now have arachnophobia from trying to  
/search "physical traits of a spider" and getting a close up image in my face. If you've ever seen an Amazon rainforest spider, that's what the enemy looks like. Just go with it.)

With an uncharacteristic canile snarl, The spider scuddered towards us at dashing speeds. Believe it or not, I was actually amazed at how fast this thing was. I was having doubts of trying to hit it with a bow and arrow but, that's what Shakinto is for.

"Hey! I need you to go and stun the spider!" I yelled at him.

"But, that means I have to get close." Shakinto replied with a mix of annoyance, disgust, and fear in his voice.

The spider was about 6ft and 1 inch tall so it was definitely intimidating, but I was still outraged nonetheless because here was the guy who just a couple seconds ago was encouraging me to fight this thing, and he looks like bloody mary just jumpscared  
/him.

"Alright, don't worry. It's just a game… that looks really real." Shakinto said to himself.

Surprisingly, he ran head first for the spider with Karbala unsheathed and ready for action. That was my cue to get ready. I aimed with Towaisento at the fight taking place. Shakinto could only block and dodge from the spider's quick and relentless attacks.  
/Right now, it looked like the spider had the advantage. On the flip side, Shakinto kept backing up as slow as he could to try and keep the spider still enough so that I could shoot. Once I thought I had a lock on, I let go of the string and the arrow  
/flew towards the spider and lodged itself in its eye. The spider's health decreased to a small pinch. Unfortunately, even that made his aggro go from Shakinto to me.

"I don't think he likes that you just did that!" Shakinto yelled at me.

"Ya think?"

Whoa, deja vu.

The spider shot some purple colored silk at me.

"POISON!" Shakinto shouted at me.

I immediately moved out of the way. This was a skill I was familiar with. It's not really skill, more like a booster. Said booster is able to make the spider use a one shot skill multiple times in a row. I had to stay on the move or else that silk would  
/definitely catch up to me.

As I dodged the last silk ball, I shouted "Hen Do!" Towaisento turned into a wand. I suddenly realized I never had even used a magic skill in the game. I panicked, but then remembered why I had gotten this weapon in the first place. It connected

with me. I took a deep breath in and just focused my thought and energy into the sapphire handle. The opposite tip glew a light blue and a wave of water sliced through the air. It made contact with the front legs of the spider, successfully cutting  
/them off.

"Hell yeah!" Shakinto celebrated "Way to slow it down for me!"

"Honestly I have barely any idea what I just did" I talked through my laughter

"Okay well let's get back in it. He's not dead yet!" Shakinto said amping us both up

The spider's health was still in the green, but it was so close to the yellow.

"We're going to need a lot more than that, even if he did slow down!" I screamed

"Don't you worry! I got a good feeling about this!" Shakinto yelled

The spider was distracted which gave Shakinto multiple openings. I could tell what he was trying to do. He'll have to be fast. Shakinto jumped and swung Karbala at the spider's back then, slid under and finished off the middle and back legs with one swing.  
/The spider was now immobile. Shakinto went for one more attack and head on sliced the spider straight down it's face. It's health was just above red.

"Hey, can you use one more skill like that last one?" I heard Shakinto ask

"I have enough mp for another water attack." I answered

I focused again on Towaisento, this time it was much easier. A whip of water came extended from the wand. I controlled it like an extension of Towaisenti and aimed it at the spider. It hit dropping the spider's health a pinch before zero.

"Are you serious? It's almost dead" I said.

Shakinto suddenly rushed towards the spider and what was supposed to be a simple sword swing turned into a powerful blow. Shakinto's arm and sword started glowing blue. He dashed so fast towards the spider, the wind began to move the trees and rocks around  
/him. Finally, Karbala was thrusted into the spider's head. The spider let out a loud screech and raised it's body to the sky. It stood there frozen in place for a second then, it began to glow white and disperse into orbs of light which faded in the  
/air.

"Holy shit… WE WON!"we yelled at the sky in unison.

A small screen showed up in front of Shakinto and I informing us of the results of the battle. We both increased two levels meaning we were both level three. We also gained bonus xp to our next level and two skill point.

"Listen bitch. I know players usually have fights like this one after the other but, I'm feeling hella exhausted." I told Shakinto

" Yeah, same here. Maybe you just have to get used to it" he replied.

"Wow, get us! We made a lot of progress in one day. Well, It might still be day in the game but, I think it's around 10:00 in reality"

"Yeah, i'm gonna log off for now. I'll see you later." Shakinto said

"Yeah, me too. See ya." I replied

We both logged out of Myran.


	5. THE EMBERS OF RUNNING CLOUDS

I heard the familiar melody of logging on to Myran, and saw a yellow notification on the small menu icon in the bottom left. I opened the menu and it took me to the skills and stats. I remembered when I logged off yesterday I hadn't used my upgrades.

I saw a scaled down model of my avatar taking up the top left section of the menu. Under it was a list of my current stats HP for health points, SP for stamina points, and MP for magic points. My HP equaled 750, I had three and a half bars of SP, and  
90 MP. Taking up the whole right half of the screen was a list of the skills: Accuracy, Agility, Defense, Magic, and Strength. Each skills had five orbs next to it and a number under it. According to the chart I had fifteen agility and strength, and  
ten of everything else. None of the orbs next to the skills were lit up.

"Ok so I'm guessing I have to use my skill points to light up the orbs and each orb will give me an added bonus in that skill, then eventually a new skill set like the one I started with and used against the spider," I said to myself. Understanding  
everything about the stats and skills was simple, yet at the same time a lot to take in. "And I must have extra points in agility and strength because of my armour." I decided to add my skill points to the already increased agility and strength.  
I tapped on the first orb of the two skills and they lit up. A confirmation tab popped up and I thought for one second then pressed yes. My agility and strength went up by another five.

"Now time to meet up with Javity" I said feeling a new boost of energy.

I found Javity at the end of the safe area around the town.

"Not that you care but just so you know… for like tactical reasons. I have 750 HP, three SP bars, and 120 MP. I already had a boost in my accuracy and agility making them both fifteen because of my cloak, so I decide to add my skill points to magic  
and strength. Bringing my MP up another 20, my strength up to fifteen, and hopefully bringing me closer to another skill set like my water control." Javity said almost so quickly I couldn't have understood him, but thankfully I partially did  
so I didn't have to hear it again.

"Right… Now that we have become more accustomed to the game, I think it's time we start worrying about guilds."

"OH YEAH! In the middle of the town of beginnings, there is a bulletin board that tells you about important events in the game. We might also find some guild openings." Javity shouted a little too excited

"How does that work? I bet it's like filling out a job application."

"Maybe. Anyway, let's go."

We both made our way to the center of the Town of beginnings and located the bulletin board. I looked up and down and spotted a section for guild openings. It seems all the guilds were only accepting high level players.

"Damn, we're shit out of luck" I said

"Actually, if you take a second and really look, you'll see there is an opening that we can fit"

I looked again and saw what Javity was talking about.

"Oh I see! 'The Embers of Running Clouds', huh? Sounds inspirational." I said.

There was a picture of the guild's members. Every member except one of the three looked to be one or two years older than us. There were two girls and one boy. The boy's name was Zazi and the two girls were Kivety and Raven. Raven looked to be the one  
closest to our age. Under their picture was the guild emblem. It was a dark cloud moving out of the top right of the frame. The background was sky and in the center focus was embers falling to the bottom left. Under the emblem was list of requirements  
to join the guild.

"Where can we find them?" I asked

"They're based in a village southwest from here"

"How far exactly?"

"Not far, if we start walking now, we'll probably get there in under 20 minutes"  
So, we left the town of beginnings and made our way to the village. We were both on edge because we left the safe zone of the town. But, somehow we made it there without any encounters.

"Did they give a description of what their base looked like?" I asked

"Nope. This guild must not be very professional if they can make a slip-up like that. I guess we'll have to ask around" Javity replied

"Or rather, we can check out the inn over there which looks completely different from all the rest of the structures "

The inn did indeed stand out from all the other huts and houses. We made our way to the entrance and walked inside. On the interior, the place did look pretty cozy. The smell emanating from the candles filled the room and gave me a nosegasm. I wouldn't  
mind staying here a while.

"Hey, over there." Javity said as he pointed to a table where three other players were seated.

It was them. The guild members we saw from the bulletin board. The boy, Zazi, looked to be about 5'11" he wore a medium weight chestplate and flexible pants with shin guards both dark blue with mint green features. He had Greenish-blue spiky hair  
that matched his "style" and was quite bedheddish and his eyes were a pale green. Sitting next to him was a short girl in a black cloak with a hood that grazed the floor tied around her neck. Under the cloak was a dark purple shirt and a  
short black skirt. She had her dark blue hair up in a bun with long bangs and dark eyes that seemed to be a dark mix of all the cooler coolers. Across from them was a girl in a orange slim fitting full body fierce battle suit with white and black  
highlights. She had short and curly bright pink hair and orange eyes. We both nervously approached them.

"Excuse me." I said to the member who I believe is named Kivety.

She turned around and looked at both me and Javity with an annoyed expression on her face. I was all of a sudden very anxious. I just hope it didn't show.

"We were looking for a guild to join and we saw yours on the bulletin board in the Town of Beginnings." I said

"Both of you look like newbies. What are your levels?" She asked

"We are both level three" I replied

"So, you barely qualify to join. Well, we'd like to test your strength and make sure you didn't reach level three through some cheap tricks." Zazi said

"Your equipment doesn't seem like something a level three would have." The girl continued

"To sum it up, we won some kind of minigame and earned 70,000 keru which we spent on this equipment." I said

"That minigame wouldn't happen to be 'Action!' would it?" Another member who i'm assuming is raven said.

"Yeah! How did you know?" Javity asked

"I refuse to believe two amateurs actually won that minigame. No one has ever been able to win it." Kivety said

"Believe or not, we did and we're not amateurs. We actually have a pretty good grip on this game." I responded

"Is that so? I guess we should have a fight to see if that's true." Zazi said enthusiastically

"Me too" Raven said

"Agreed" Kivety said

"Wait a second. I don't think three against two is exactly fair," Javity said "How about we choose who we want to fight?" he proposed

"Sounds good. So, who will you choose?" Zazi asked

It didn't take us long to make our choice. I chose to fight Zazi. I don't know why but, he's striking a nerve with me. Javity chose to fight Raven. Raven's calm and mysterious attitude made me feel uneasy, but matched his in battle.

"I guess i'm sitting this out then." Kivety said.

She didn't look as mad as I expected her to be. Kivety began walking to the center of the inn. What was she doing?

"EVERYONE LISTEN UP! THERE WILL BE A BATTLE IN THE ARENA UNDER THE INN! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPECTATE, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE STANDS AT THE ARENA!" She yelled

No she didn't. Did she really just do that? It's not like it's the first time I've had a crowd of people watching me but, last time we fought a machine. These are players as in experienced players whose levels are undisclosed. They also seem very confident.  
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't about ready to hyperventilate. At least i'll have a day to prepare.

"Hey! Are you coming or not?" Kivety shouted to me.

It was then I noticed almost everyone in the inn were making their way to the arena.

"Wait… WE'RE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW!?" I realized aloud 


	6. Overly Serious Entrance Battle

We were on our way to the arena with each step my heart beat more and more anxiously. Not sure if it was out of fear or excitement. I know I was really excited to see what Raven had up her sleeves, but honestly Zazi's tank like build scared me. Shakinto  
looked confident as ever. Besides the fight with the spider, he usually walked with his head held high and optimism laced in every step.

As I approached the battlefield I saw how huge it actually was. There was a small forest taking up about a third of it. Next to that was a rocky river with clay banks, and taking up the rest of the space was a open field. In all the arena had to be at  
least a 800 meters end to end.

I watched Kivety walk up to the seats and sit in an aisle by herself. Because the actual battlefield was so big there were only limited amount of seats. I guess that wasn't a problem considering how small the town was. Why did a town so small need a huge  
stadium?

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Shakinto "HEY! JAVITY!"

"Wh-what?"

"I said. Do you have a plan?!"

Now that I thought about it I didn't. From the looks of it Raven seemed to be a mage. I thought I had saw a wand strapped to her skirt, but I could be wrong. Best to go with the most reasonable… so Raven was a mage. Zazi wore a little bit heavier armour  
like a heavy hitter who used a two-handed wield. Unless he had some seriously high agility and could move as fast as Shakinto, yet again better to go with the most likely. His agility couldn't be that high if he was close to our level

"Okay. It looks like Zazi won't take that much damage from physical hits, but you should still get a few quick slashes in there. It seems he's slow and will get tired out if you just run around him and dodge his attacks. I will go up against Raven.  
We both seem to be long ranged attackers, and she'll probably be expecting magic similar to hers when she was a lower level. She doesn't know about Towaisento and how it can change into a bow, so if I need to I'll pull that out on her. I think my  
water magic should be good enough to hold her off while you are tiring Zazi out. We will all start out in the field. Try leading Zazi towards the river and I'll take Raven to the woods. Her magic will be much harder than my bow to aim. Once Zazi is  
slowed down try to run into the forest. Before he follows I will jump in and see if I can do anything with the water, I'm not completely sure how the magic works yet, but if I can't control it I'll play some mind games with him. While that's going  
on you take down Raven it'll probably be easier if she is expecting a Mage rather than a fast swordwielder… Okay that's it. Sorry for going a bit tactic mode but we need to get into this guild or at least show them we are a force to be reckon with…"

"Wow… ok… I think I got it" Shakinto said only a little confused

"Ok! And if anything goes wrong return to the field. good luck!" I said pumped and ready to take down who will hopefully be our future guild members

Next thing I knew I was hearing the countdown for the start of battle. We stood in the center of the field. Equal distance from the river and the forest.

3…2…1…GO!

I stayed still waiting for either Shakinto or the other two to move first. Shakinto dashed full speed for Zazi, who looked prepared for the attack, he parried Shakinto used the blocking force to flip over him and slash back. Then he ran towards the river.

I realized I hadn't been watching Raven, but she had been watching me calmly. I hope she didn't see we had a plan behind this. At the same time I realized I was the fatal flaw in our plan. My magic wasn't good enough to full on attack her and push her  
into the forest so I would have to improvise. She was too smart and levelheaded to get aggravated and chase me into the thick trees.

…I thought and thought then my mind flashed back to Liz's shop… I would have to act fast but maybe. I pulled up my menu and went to my inventory I hovered over the name Hiken and pressed it. Now the weapons in my hands or rather around were the brawlers  
Shakinto told me to get just for a moment like this.

All this felt like years, but really we were only about 20 seconds into the fight. Around like three seconds ago Raven had started casting a spell. When I looked up I saw a giant ball of dark matter coming straight for me. I looked down at Hiken around  
my hands. Flowing through the right glove was pure light, and through the left was dark essence

I right hooked at the ball Raven casted and they negated each other. The light in Hiken was gone but I had a feeling it would come back. It just need to recharge.

I took this chance out of Raven's confusion and uncertainty to run into the forest. Raven followed after casting a self affecting spell. The trees blocked out almost all the light. That's why I was surprised when I saw a bright light in front of me. I  
looked closer… it was Raven except now she was in all white and yellow, and her cloak wasn't hooded and much shorter.

She had seen me and took advantage of the same confusion she wore earlier. She quickly casted a spell and it came straight for me. I wasn't fast enough to dodge and to slow to throw a punch with Hiken. The spell hit my chest dead on and I was smashed  
against a tree and fell to the ground. My health dropped to about 125/750. I guess she was a much higher level and did much more damage. I would have to be a lot more careful

I got up quickly and tried to shake off Raven by running around then jumping into a tree. It had worked and I watched her look around trying to find me.

I tried to think back to my research on the game. I didn't think I had seen anything on a ability or an armour change spell… that was it! It was her armour that changed! I guess my Hiken was the perfect match for her if it didn't take forever to recharge.

I pulled out Towaisento and whispered a "Hen Yo!" it changed into a short, sturdy bow. I cocked an arrow, aimed at Raven and shot. It hit her shoulder. She calmly took it out. Her health had only dropped a pinch. This wasn't good I couldn't  
keep shooting arrows. I was lucky I had the element of surprise at first. Now she would be expecting them.

I had to see if Shakinto had tired out Zazi. I took a second to drink a health potion to fully recover. As I was about to head towards the edge of the trees, I heard Ravens voice below me. Fuck! I hadn't been paying attention and she'd fully charged a  
giant light sphere. It was so close it almost looked almost like a second sun. My Instincts kicked in this time and I punched straight down with my right hand. I knew it wasn't the correct hand if I wanted to cancel out her light, but Towaisento was  
in my left, and the attack had to do something… right?

I closed my eyes. I felt a slight impact then I opened them. The light sphere had completely disappeared and my right hand was glowing intensely. HIKEN HAD ABSORBED THE MAGIC. I think Raven was too stunned to notice. She along with me was starting to  
understand my full potential.

I was guessing her white armour handled light attacks well and dark worse. I had to make her change back, and I'm sure there was a cool down to the time it took to change. I jumped far into the field and turned around to see Raven slowly immersing from  
the forest line. I hooked my bow on my back and ran at her slower than usual with a drawn left hook. Raven switched to her black armour and took almost no damage.

I jumped back again and turned to see Shakinto dodging all of Zazi's slowering attacks. Great! Our plan was working. Zazi's health was in the yellow. I quickly grabbed and cocked Towaisento, and used the light power from Hiken in the shot at Raven. It  
moved almost as fast a sound and hit Raven dead on in the chest. Just like I thought… the dark armour was weak to light. Though, Raven must've been a high level because her health was barely in the red.

I had done all I could do. I started running back towards Shakinto and Zazi at the river. "HEN DO!" Towaisento changed back into its usual wand.

Shakinto saw me and started running towards me. Zazi took advantage of Shakinto turning the opposite direction. He used the last of his will to pull back what would be a huge sword swing that I knew would be enough to take down Shakinto.

"SHIT!" I loudly whispered under my breath. It was too late to warn Shakinto… I took a deep breath deep breath and thought back to what Liz had told me when I bought Towaisento

"There are very many high level Crossweapons, but Towaisento is special because most of them cross long distance weapons with short ranged swords and hammers that need to be metal, but Towaisento is fully wood. A special wood straight from the earth.  
It is a jack of all trades of magic but truly an ace of the elements. You will understand soon enough… Oh! And don't underestimate your friends weapon either his is quite special also. Guess that's the perk of having a shit ton of money."

…I think I understood now. Zazi's hands were pulling back down holding his giant double edged sword

I focused all of my remaining power in Towaisento then aimed at the river. The direction of the running waves around Zazi began to twirl and tied him up in a drowning vortex. It held him there for about three seconds then dispersed dropping his unconscious  
body back into the river.

I dropped to the ground deprived of power and fully exhausted. Shakinto stopped to make sure I was alright

"Don't underestimate Raven she is very strong and quick. I know you'll win though." I said quietly through a smile

"I GOT THIS!" He yelled then I felt myself pass out.

(A.N.-The reason Towasiento's magic is special because usually the magic comes straight from the caster, but in this case it can control any natural element anywhere without casting. I know it seems a little OP… actually this whole chapter did. But don't  
worry everyone will be equally strong in their own way making fierce enemies. HOPE YOU ENJOYED! ;))


	7. Karbala SAY WHAT

Well shit. Having half of my health gone and all of my stamina drained from the fight with Zazi has really taken it's toll on my self-esteem. During our fight, I saw a giant ball of light coming from the forest. I hoped Raven wasn't the cause of that.  
I'd hate to have to find a way to counter that.

Anyway, was it just me or did Raven seem a little bit more interested in this fight than at first? She looked way more pissed and fierce, yet she was still calmly observing everything.

Honestly, it kinda scared me. I had no clue what she was going to do so I was left with one option… Shakinto style! I dashed in Raven's direction for an attack. It was the only way to see what she had. Besides, I was at half health, but I could still  
take a few hits.

When I got close enough, I swung karbala at Raven. She dodged it and quickly began to form a ball of dark matter. Since we were so close, all she had to do was aim it at me. I backed off as quickly as I could. The ball hit the ground and exploded. The  
blast radius was pretty large for something so small. I barely managed to escape it. I made a quick note-to-self. She made that ball fairly quickly but, it seems like it could've been stronger. I guess Javity forced her to use up some MP. Still not  
good enough though. She's trying to hide it but, I can see she's breathing pretty heavily. What I'm about to do can either go in my favor or screw everything up.

"What's wrong? Feeling a little exhausted?" I said to her

I wasn't trying to provoke her rather I was trying to buy some time. I need to come up with something.

"We could stand here all day and you still wouldn't be able to form a plan" She said

You've gotta be kidding.

Raven changed her armour to its opposite. I wonder what light can do? She formed another ball except this time it was full of light and much bigger. The ball flew at me… wait, WHAT?!

"OH CRAP!" I said while trying to evade the ball that was right on my tail.

This thing is fast. It's gonna reach me eventually. I didn't see Raven's arm move. She didn't throw it. Is it telepathy? It wouldn't surprise me. Wait, this thing has been following me around. Did she cast a homing spell while she was at it or does it  
just come with the ball? Maybe it's the way it flew. I know they said that they wanted to make sure we weren't using any cheap tricks but, I really have only one option. I can't block or deflect it. I don't know any spells to nullify it. Wait, do  
I even know how to use magic in this game? Whatever, I just have to use my cheap trick.

I made a sudden u-turn and juked the ball out though it kept following me. I ran back in Raven's direction. She just stood there. I guess she knows what i'm up to. I kept running until I was somewhat close to her. I jumped over Raven hoping to hit her  
with her own attack. I kept running but, stopped when I heard an explosion. It hit her.

I turned around to look at the clearing smoke. There was Raven. She took the attack head-on but, there's not a scratch on her. What did I expect? Of course light armour would cancel out a light attack. Luckily, I wasn't looking to damage her in that regard.

To say Raven was worn out was an understatement. She was completely wasted of mp, but I was drained of stamina also. I noticed that I had not been on the offensive for the majority of the fight. I ran towards Raven and tried to strike her with Karbala.  
She was actually dodging my attacks by a paper thin margin. Suddenly, my whole body felt heavy and I fell on my back. I couldn't stand anymore. The most I could do was prop myself up on my arms. When I looked up, Raven had already formed another ball  
of light. It flew at me again. Shit!

"AGHHHHHH!" I shouted as I mustered all the strength I had left to pick up Karbala and throw it at Raven as a last ditch effort…

I woke up in a small bed. I guessed the game respawned you to the closest hospital. To my right was an empty bed, and across from me I saw three people, two of which also on vision focused and I realized it was Javity and Raven laying in the beds  
and Zazi standing in between the two. I looked to my left, and Kivety was all up in my face just staring at me.

"Like what you see?" I joked

"Hardly, I just wanna make sure one of our new members are okay" She replied

"Wait, new members?"

"Yep, welcome to the Embers of Running Clouds"

I propped myself up on my arms. I saw Javity, Raven, and Zazi chatting up like we didn't just fight each other like our lives depended on it.

"wait… Why are we in these beds?" I asked. "It's not like we actually need recovery time."

"Yeah. Zazi was next to you, but once I told him the news he jumped up and started chatting with Javity and Raven about new adventures we would be having together" she said as if she was already fed up with the hyperness of Javity and Zazi together.  
Which she probably was no one could blame her.

I got up out of the bed and stood next to Kivety. "Cool. Now would you mind telling me what happened?"

"Well-" she started but before she finished she was interrupted by a loud voice from the other side of the room.

"OH HEY YOU'RE UP, SHAKINTO!" Javity shouted. "WE MADE IT IN! AND I LOVE THESE THREE RAG TAGSALREADY! I THINK WE ARE GOING TO BE WITH THESE WEIRDOS FOR A WHILE!" he continued excitedly "ALSO NICE JOB!"

"Calm down. It's great we are in and all, like really thanks guys… but how the hell?" I humorously questioned

"Well, I guess, it was all because of you" Zazi said in a friendly, but unsure tone. He must've saw Javity fall when he did.

"…Well not exactly" Kivety and Raven said simultaneously

"Shit… Don't tell me we actually lost, and you guys pitied us. I truly hate being pitied. I can do better! Let's go again" I said a little aggravated. I reached for Karbala on my side…, but I didn't feel anything. I checked my inventory and  
my precious sword still wasn't there

"Hey… um where's-"

"Looking for-"

Me and Raven said at the same time interrupting each other. After realizing I was giving her space to talk Raven started again

"Well, I really thought I had won when you fell… but that sword you threw… it started glowing brightly and next thing I knew I was down too"

Then Kivety took over from there "Long story short because I absolutely despise the in and outs… Karbala is not Karbala at the moment"

"Where is he?!" I asked urgently tired of all these turns and loops. Even Kivety said she wouldn't but she still did!

Everyone laughed. "He?" Javity asked over his own and everyone else's laughter?

"Yes he. I've always thought he was a… he!" I said wondering why they were all laughing

"Well you might wanna think differently" Kivety said still laughing "I checked earlier and I'm not completely sure she is a he"

"What do you mean… 'you checked'? How do you check a sword?"

"That's the thing-" Zazi started to explain then I heard a loud roar from right outside the room

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" I yelled flabbergasted

"KARBALA!" they all said in unison like they hadplanned it

"Oh what the actual fuck Liz" I thought to myself


End file.
